1. Field of the Invention
In reference to the classification of art as established by the United States Patent Office the present invention pertains to the class entitled, "Animal Husbandry" (Class 119) and more particularly to the subclass pertaining to "feeding devices -- timer controlled" (subclass 51.11).
2. Description of the Prior Art
The inconvenience of feeding a pet at timed intervals when the owner or attendant is not available at the usual feeding time is usually a worry to the owner or attendant and alternate feeding arrangements must often be made. Usually these feeding arrangements require the owner to temporarily board the pet in a veterinary or kennel or perhaps the animal may have to be deprived of food and/or water for a short period of time.
The prior art devices show many types of feeders wherein one or more pets may be accommodated and it is known that electrically operated feed releasing devices are available. Pet feeders which are completely portable and may be releasably secured to floors or to a wall bracket, which have internal mechanisms which may be exteriorally set for a timed release and in which the devices are small, compact and contoured to defeat attack by the pet, is to the best of the applicant's knowledge not known.
Applicant in the present invention proposes to provide a pet feeder which may be made in various sizes and which during a selected time span, as for example, 12 hours will have the cover released by a spring-actuated mechanism to expose one or two containers of pet food and/or water for the feeding of the animal during the absence of the owner. Today where guard dogs are particularly used to patrol premises during night hours and over weekends it is only humane that the animals receive a proper ration at proper intervals. For example, if a pet feeder is set to be released after 8 hours, a midnight or early morning feeding of the animal may be provided without an attendant coming to the premises to feed the animal. With many of todays prepared pet foods being particularly susceptible to exposure to air, heat and the like it is also desirable and necessary that the pet feeder, such as provided in this invention, be sealed to prevent unwanted drying of the food product and also that the device be insulated so that unwanted heating or cooling of the food product does not occur during the few hours that the pet feeder is closed after it is stocked by the attendant.